Poland diplomat: North Korean workers will leave

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- North Korean workers in Poland will not receive renewed work permits, a senior Polish diplomat said Thursday.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Magierowski told Yonhap Warsaw wants all 400 North Korean workers to go home, and that the Polish government has for a long time refused to renew their visas.

"A long time ago, we decided not to issue more working permits for North Korean workers coming to Poland. So as soon as the valid working permits expire, we will not renew them," Magierowski said. "In a certain period of time, all North Korean workers will have to leave Poland."

The Polish diplomat also said his government cannot simply expel North Korean guest workers but Warsaw did take measures ahead of a United Nations Security Council sanctions resolution to ban North Korean workers from earning foreign currency for the Kim Jong Un regime.

The number of North Korean workers has been decreasing.

According to Magierowski, about 800 North Koreans worked in Poland in early 2016.

That number dropped to 550 in July 2016, and there are about 400 workers, according to January 2017 statistics.

The senior diplomat said the Polish ambassador to Pyongyang is planning a visit to Seoul, and to meet with South Korean officials and share information, expertise, related to North Korea.

Poland was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic ties to North Korea, in 1948.

Magierowski's comments come a few days after the foreign affairs council of the European Union agreed to adopt new measures to sanction North Korea.

The sanctions include a "total ban" on EU investment in North Korea and the blacklisting of three people and six entities supporting illicit programs, according to EU News.